Comestible slicing device

ABSTRACT

A slicing device for simultaneously slicing an elongated comestible into a plurality of disks. The slicing device includes a lengthwise flexible supporting strip having a plurality of lengthwise spaced knife blades projecting therefrom.

United States Patent 91 Berger a Apr. 17, 1973 COMESTIBLE SLICING DEVICE [76] Inventor:

Highland Park, II]. 60035 [22] Filed: Dec. 8, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 205,952

[52] US. Cl. ..30/304 [58] Field of Search ..30/1 14, 121.5, 299, 30/302, 303, 304; 83/696 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I,424,389 8/1922 Wyatt ..30/304 S0] J. Berger, 1116 Kent Avenue,

2,986,815 6/1961 Femald ..30/304 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Assistant Examiner-Mark S. Bicks Attorney-Morris Spector [5 7] ABSTRACT A slicing device for simultaneously slicing an elongated comestible into a plurality of disks. The slicing device includes a lengthwise flexible supporting strip having a plurality of lengthwise spaced knife blades projecting therefrom.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures COMESTIBLE SLICING DEVICE The present invention relates to a slicing device and more particularly a slicing device for simultaneously dividing an elongated solid comestible into a plurality of disks along the length thereof.

The present invention is intended primarily for use with readily crushable or bruisable comestibles which are in the form of elongated solids such as for example bananas and the like. Although it is to be clearly understood that the slicing device may also be used in slicing sausage type meats, such as frankfurters, baloney etc; block cheeses, and the like. In this connection it is to be noted that the expression elongated solid comestible as used herein is intended to cover the aforementioned comestibles and the shapes and configuratives associated therewith.

In accordance with the present invention the slicing device is constructed so that minimum handling by user of the comestible to be sliced is required. This not only reduces the health hazard but also reduces the possibility of distortion or bruising of the slices when the comestible being sliced is of the crushable type such as bananas, and sausage meat such as liver sausage.

The slicing device is constructed so that a plurality of knife blades are connected to a common support and spaced thereon to form slices of a predetermined thickness.

The common support means and knife blade are also constructed so that the slices are retained between the blades after the comestible is cut across its cross-section whereby the slices may be lifted from the cutting board or the like to a serving platter without touching.

The slicing device is further constructed so that after lifting the comestible slices to the serving platter further manipulation of the structure is capable of releasing the slices from retention between the blades without touching.

The slicing device of the present invention comprises generally an elongated supporting strip adapted to lie length-wise along one side of the elongate solid comestible to be sliced and having a plurality of lengthwise spaced projecting knife blades that are adapted extend across the longitudinal axis of the comestible article. Finger grip means may be provided at the opposite ends of the supporting strip.

In the more specific aspects of the invention, the strip is flexible along its length and concavely curved so that adjacent knife blades tend to retain the slices therebetween after slicing and whereby upon bowing the strip out of the concave curve and outward into a convex curve the blades are spaced apart and the slices are released from the slicing means.

Further features of the invention will be apparent from the following specifications and drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a slicing device embodying the structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the slicing device shown flexed inwardly to conform to the curvature of the comestible article to be sliced; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the slicing device flexed outwardly for releasing the slices after the latter have been cut.

Referring now to the drawings, a banana slicing device is made from a plastic such as polystryene or polypropelene, as by molding. The banana is used as exemplary of the solid elongated comestible article to be sliced because the advantages of the slicing device are more readily apparent when used therewith. The slicing device may be used with other elongate comestible as hereinbefore discussed.

The device 10 includes a flexible support strip or backbone 11 of a concave curvature as shown so as to conform to the general curvature of a banana. The strip 11 has a base 12. It is flexible so that it may be further bowed to fit variable curves that occur on different bananas as shown in FIG. 3. Uniformly spaced'apart knife blades 13 of the same plastic project inwardly from the concave side of the strip .11, being molded integrally with the strip 11 to form a unitary comblike structure. Each blade includes a substantially straight cutting edge 14. The edges 14 lie in substantially the same plane as the flat base 12. The blades 13 are of sufficient length so as to cut diametrically across the full cross section of a banana. 7

The ends of the strip 11 terminate in finger grip portions 15-15 formed so that together with the backbone and the blades the entire device simulates the comestible article with which it is to be used, in this instance a banana.

A peeled banana to be sliced is placed on a suitable cutting surface and the cutting device 10 positioned thereover with the knife blades 13 facing downwardly and the cutting edges 14 approximately parallel to the support surface. The strip 11, if necessary, may be flexed inwardly to conform to the particular curvature of the banana being sliced. The cutting edges 14 which extend diametrically across the banana are then brought into engagement with the banana and depressed downwardly so that the full length of the banana is simultaneously cut into individual slices. The blades extending from the strip converge towards one another and by appropriately flexing the strip in one direction this convergence can be increased, or by flexing it in the opposite direction the convergence is decreased even to the extent of becoming a divergence as shown in FIG. 4. This flexibility is all within the elastic limits of the material of device. Thus, after a banana has been sliced the strip may be flexed to cause a further small convergence of the blades whereby the grip of the blades on the banana slices is increased if it is desired to hold them in places for carrying them to a serving dish. The strip may then be flexed outwardly towards the position shown in FIG. 4 whereupon the outer ends of the blades spread so that the individual slices are released from between the knife blades 13 and free to drop into a dish.

Although only thepreferred embodiment of my invention has been shown and described herein, it will be comprising a flexible strip adaptedto be positioned lengthwise along the length of the elongate comestible, knife blades integral with and spaced lengthwise along said strip and projecting therefrom, and finger grip means at the opposite ends of said strip for manipulating said device comprising a unitary structure comblike structure made of flexible plastic and the strip being sufficiently flexible so that by gripping the finger grip means the strip is flexed to increase the spaces between adjacent blades at their ends remote from strip to dislodge the slices of comestible between them.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the strip is concave lengthwise thereof and the blades extend from the concave surface thereof and converge towards one another, the strip being sufi'iciently flexible to permit flexing thereof within its elastic limits an amount sufficient to change it from concave to convex thereby 

1. A device for slicing an elongate solid comestible comprising a flexible strip adapted to be positioned lengthwise along the length of the elongate comestible, knife blades integral with and spaced lengthwise along said strip and projecting therefrom, and finger grip means at the opposite ends of said strip for manipulating said device comprising a unitary structure comb-like structure made of flexible plastic and the strip being sufficiently flexible so that by gripping the finger grip means the strip is flexed to increase the spaces between adjacent blades at their ends remote from strip to dislodge the slices of comestible between them.
 2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the strip is concave lengthwise thereof and the blades extend from the concave surface thereof and converge towards one another, the strip being sufficiently flexible to permit flexing thereof within its elastic limits an amount sufficient to change it from concave to convex thereby changing the relationship of the blades from convergence to Divergence.
 3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the plastic is a polystyrene.
 4. A device according to claim 2 wherein the plastic is a polypropelene.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said slicing knives are equally spaced from one another lengthwise of the strip.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said strip is concavely curved along its length and said finger grip means constitutes a continuation of said curvature. 